Guild Tavern —
News that Erza had specially ordered a highly expensive, custom-made bridesmaid dress for Bisca's wedding spread quickly through the hall.
"Aren't you taking this a bit too seriously?" Cana looked at Erza with a pained expression.
It didn't matter for the others, but she was also one of the bridesmaids, and she was just planning to wear something from her closet.
Erza blinked her big eyes, looking innocently at Cana, not quite understanding what she meant.
Erza hadn't considered the budget or the spotlight at all; she was simply caught up in the romantic excitement.
"Didn't any of you try to stop her?" Cana complained to Raizel and Ultear at the bar.
"Do you really think we could hold her back? If we could, she wouldn't have rented five separate dorm rooms just to store her armor collection," Ultear shrugged helplessly.
Just the rent alone cost Erza 500,000 Jewels a month, not to mention that Raizel's house also had some of her bulky armors taking up space in his garage.
Otherwise, Erza might have rented two more rooms!
"Even though it's custom-made, it's still just a bridesmaid dress. There's no need to worry too much about it," Raizel explained.
This was also why Raizel didn't try harder to stop Erza.
Let her have her fun.
"Instead of worrying about that, have you prepared your wedding gifts?" Raizel decided to change the subject.
"Gifts???" Natsu asked through a mouthful of food.
"Do we need to prepare gifts?" Gray asked, confused.
"Generally, if you're close friends, yes," Raizel nodded. "The reason I'm bringing this up is to give everyone a heads-up. If we're giving gifts, we should all pitch in and do it together, and it's best if the prices aren't too far apart so no one feels awkward."
"Got it." Lucy understood the high-society social etiquette perfectly.
"Why?" Natsu, on the other hand, looked clueless.
"You handle it. Give him a private lesson on manners," Raizel sighed, signaling Lucy to take the Dragon Slayer aside.
"I have an idea," Raizel lowered his voice, leaning over the table.
"Let's buy them some furniture for their new house... but not for free. They'll have to pass various challenges to get the pieces!" Raizel wore a mischievous smile.
Alzack and Bisca had already bought their marital home in town, and Raizel and the others had visited it.
It wasn't too far from the guild, and though it wasn't very big, it was their own house.
Moreover, the new house had just been renovated and had no furniture inside except for a brick fireplace, which gave Raizel this brilliant idea.
"Sounds good. It's perfect since they haven't bought any furniture yet," Ultear agreed with Raizel's devious plan.
"With challenges, they won't feel like they're receiving charity or getting it for nothing, so they'll be more likely to accept the expensive gifts," Erza nodded approvingly.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Erza, Ur, Raizel, Laxus, and Gildarts took financial responsibility for the larger items like beds and sofas, while Cana and the younger members were to pitch in for smaller, less expensive appliances.
"Then it's settled. For now, we'll keep Bisca and Alzack occupied so they don't go buy any furniture themselves." Raizel pointed at the group.
"Alzack will be handled by the guys, and Bisca by the girls. Any questions?"
"None!"
"Meeting adjourned!" Raizel slammed his hand on the table.
...
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and wedding preparations were in full swing.
Erza had successfully received her custom-made pink bridesmaid dress two days earlier.
On the morning of February 14th, the winter chill hadn't faded, but the lively, warm atmosphere of Magnolia drove it away.
Today was the wedding day of Alzack and Bisca.
These two mages, who had come to the Fiore Kingdom from the Western Continent, had known each other for three years, danced awkwardly around their feelings for three years, and finally achieved their happy ending.
The guild members were genuinely delighted for them.
Not only the bride and groom, but also the wedding party—including Raizel and Erza as the best man and maid of honor—had woken up early to start getting ready.
From the very beginning, this wedding was entirely unconventional.
The bride, Bisca, stood in her wedding dress and read from the cue card given to her by Ultear.
"Please proceed to the 8-Island Furniture Store to find the Fairy Tail Guild banner." The address of the premium furniture store was noted below.
"???" Bisca wore an expression of confusion.
"Why the 8-Island Store?"
Bisca was puzzled.
The 8-Island brand was a well-known luxury brand with premium prices—the Magnolia branch was no exception.
In fact, Bisca already knew the location even without the address card.
She and Alzack had briefly considered buying furniture from there but were immediately deterred by the steep prices. Purchasing their marital home had nearly drained their savings.
To put it in perspective, an ordinary magical beanbag chair there could cost 100,000 Jewels... though admittedly, it was incredibly comfortable.
That their wedding would be connected to this expensive place...
"You'll understand when you get there," Ultear said mysteriously, fixing Bisca's veil.
The wedding party was originally supposed to have six members, but due to overwhelming interest, it expanded to five pairs—twelve people including the bride and groom.
The group boarded a rented luxury carriage and set off for the 8-Island Store.
"I really want ice cream..." Erza gazed longingly out the carriage window at a vendor.
"Me too. I could go for something cold," Cana added, rubbing her stomach in her bridesmaid dress.
"Hold on, there will be a massive feast at the guild later," Raizel sighed, adjusting his tie, unable to make a special stop just for ice cream.
"I see it! The banner! It's Reedus!" Alzack pointed out the window at the massive painted banner held by Reedus at the store's entrance.
"Hurry inside," Reedus greeted them with a wide smile and led the confused group upstairs to the second floor.
A massive, cleared-out showroom space awaited them on the second floor... courtesy of Raizel's financial persuasion with the store manager, naturally.
Raizel and the others had secretly arranged to purchase one of every premium item—sofas, beds, beanbag chairs, hammocks—anything available that a house needed.
Alzack and Bisca immediately noticed the mountain of luxury furniture piled to the side of the room, wrapped in massive decorative ribbons.
"What are we doing here?" Alzack was bewildered; no one had explained this part of the ceremony to the groom.
"Mira!" Bisca spotted Mira, dressed in a lovely cocktail dress and holding a procedure card like a game show host.
Mira flashed her signature smile and read cheerfully from the card.
"Let me explain this segment: it's a Fairy Tail furniture trivia challenge! Each piece of furniture comes with a question. Answer correctly, and you can take that furniture home for free!"
"All six pairs can participate. When I say 'go,' everyone can rush forward to the buzzers."
"Whoever grabs the buzzer first gets to answer, right?" Gray raised his hand to confirm the rules.
"Exactly. We'll proceed in order, with two people per team," Mira nodded.
What Raizel and the others hadn't told Alzack and Bisca was that even if the couple didn't win a single round, the furniture would still be delivered to their house anyway.
It was all paid for.
But Alzack and Bisca didn't know that, so they took the game very seriously, even aggressively securing the center position at the starting line.
"Hey... you're over the line. Over the line," Erza said sternly, pulling the bride back by her dress.
"You need to stay behind the starting line, Bisca," Raizel chimed in, backing up Erza. "We want the free furniture too, you know."
It felt like there were hidden cameras everywhere, with everyone mercilessly teasing Alzack and Bisca on their big day.
"Whoever answers correctly first gets to pick their prize first, so listen carefully everyone," Mira smoothly took control of the chaotic situation.
"Ready? Go!"
The members rushed forward toward the buzzers in a competitive frenzy.
Gray and Juvia, unable to brake in time on the polished floor, violently collided with those in front, while Cana and Laxus crashed into Raizel and Erza.
Raizel and Erza nearly overturned the table in front of Mira in the scramble.
Poor Alzack and Bisca were left stranded and trampled at the very back of the pack!